The Chemistry & Poetry of Love

You’ve met this person that makes your heart race a little faster and you’re wondering “Could this be love?” Well, you have come to the right place. Today we will investigate on the chemistry of love and delight in the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Today I share with you as well a painting on a 6″ x 6″ tile that was inspired by the LOVEly theme.

“Could this be love?”handpainted ceramic tile by paulina constancia

The Chemistry of Love

There are a lot of chemicals racing around your brain and body when you’re in love. Researchers are gradually learning more and more about the roles they play both when we are falling in love and when we’re in long-term relationships. Of course, estrogenand testosterone play a role in the sex drive area. Without them, we might never venture into the “real love” arena.

That initial giddiness that comes when we’re first falling in love includes a racing heart, flushed skin and sweaty palms. Researchers say this is due to the dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine we’re releasing. Dopamine is thought to be the “pleasure chemical,” producing a feeling of bliss. Norepinephrine is similar to adrenaline and produces the racing heart and excitement. According to Helen Fisher, anthropologist and well-known love researcher from Rutgers University, together these two chemicals produce elation, intense energy, sleeplessness, craving, loss of appetite and focused attention. She also says, “The human body releases the cocktail of love rapture only when certain conditions are met and … men more readily produce it than women, because of their more visual nature.”

I have to admit that until I saw the Italian movie Il Postino*,I wasn’t that curious about Pablo Neruda and his works. And like most people, it wasn’t until Robin Williams read these excerpts below in the movie Patch Adams that I found out about Soneto XVII. So pure and powerful are Neruda’s words that the reader can’t help but yearn for true love.

*A simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to the famous poet Neruda; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.Watch some clips from the movie